User blog:Rikun85/The Parisian Apaches vs. the Tong Highbinders
At the beginning of the 20th century, cities were seen as the pinnacle of human civilization and accomplishment. However...every city, no matter the era, hides a seedy underbelly full of tight knit urban gangsters who are more than willing to prey on the fools who wander into their territory. For my debut battle on this forum, I present to you a turn of the century gang battle from two seperate parts of the globe: Les Apaches: the fierce urban ruffians of Paris that terrorized the populace vs. The Highbinders: the enforcers and assassins of the American Tongs Which squad of gangsters will be left standing? The Parisian Apaches The Belle Epoque (1870s - 1914) was, as the name implies, a beautifully optimistic period where French culture was at its peak. Paris would become the center of arts, sciences, and high society...but not without hiding a criminal underworld within its alleys. For the less fortunate lower class of Paris, the choice was either backbreaking work or a life of crime, and for much of the disgruntled urban youth they chose the latter. Through countless muggings, assaults, and other acts of violence these hooligans earned the nickname "Apaches" from journalist Victor Morris after the police described to him a particularly gruesome crime scene. The gangsters in question happily accepted and relished in their newfound reputation. Since then, the Parisian Apaches became the subject of many dime store novels and the terror of the bourgeois. Even the police would have trouble containing the sheer amount of violence the Apaches would wreak upon Paris. There would even be an entire martial art called canne de combat and a small cottage industry of hidden cane weapons the boguois could obtain specifically to combat these ruffians. That's correct: these ruffians were the reason cane swords and cane guns were developed. Their reign of terror ceased when the first Great War came to France, conscripting the violence of these youths into a meatgrinder of a war. And though the streets of Paris were finally safe, the legacy of the Apaches still lived on in the 1920s through an "Apache Dance" that looked like tango between an angry pimp and his battered worker. Don't let their dandy looks fool you. These thugs would garrote you for cash and shank you for your troubles. Not fair you say? Cie la vie. Short Range=Laguiole knife. Based off the Andalusian navaja, this folding knife was popular among Paris' working class. *''12 cm closed'' *''10 cm yatagan-styled blade'' |-|Mid Range=Leaded Walking Cane A walking cane was both a stylish accessory and a useful tool to defend oneself against potential ruffians. There's little doubt the Apaches themselves would also take to using a cane like this to bludgeon an unsuspecting target. *''roughly 90 cm'' *''hardwood with leaded weight'' |-|Long Range=Bulldog Revolver The British Bulldog revolver is a double action pocket pistol that was incredibly popular for its time and was subsequently manufactured and copied throughout both Europe and the United States. It's compact size made it ideal for one to carry in one's coat pocket. *''.422 Webley'' *''5 round cylinder'' *''15 yards effective range'' |-|Special=Apache Revolver A truly bizarre weapon that combines a brass knuckle, a bayonet, and a pinfire revolver into one. Called the "Apache revolver" due to its use by the Parisian gang, this is a weapon that could only be used in extremely close quarters with 3 different options of dispatching the mark. *''7mm Lefaucheux pinfire'' *''6 round cylinder (must be removed to load properly)'' *''Would only use trench knife mode after all shells are spent'' |-|Armor="Porcupine Armor" This kind of improvised armor wasn't commonplace amongst all Apache, but was used by one named Liebeuf to hold off the officers that would attempt to arrest him. Liebeuf used his shoemaking talents to create leather straps with needlepoint nails he could hide under his sleeves. The nails would give anybody who tried to grab the user a painful shock and bloody hands, leaving the user enough time to pull out a weapon and end the poor bastard. The Tong Highbinders Between the 1850s to the 1900s, there was a massive wave of Chinese immigration to the United States. Whether it be on the Intercontinental Railroad or prospecting during the Gold Rush, many Chinese sought to start a new life in America. However, they would soon learn that the police in America did little to help their communities. If they were going to survive this new land, these Chinatowns were going to have to look out for themselves, especially when the anti-Asian movement of 1873 broke out. Though many organizations tried to work within the law, the pressure of protecting the Chinese community would lead to the rise of the Tongs. Like their Triad counterparts in China, the Tongs were secret societies that operated within their own city's Chinatown, with San Francisco being the largest and oldest established in the United States. These organizations started off as the protection new Chinese immigrants needed; providing whatever community service was needed for a growing populace. However, it didn't take long before a number of different Tongs would seek funding through more illicit means: extortion, racketeering, gambing, opium dens, prostitution, and anything else a self respecting criminal enterprise would do. And just like the Italians or Irish of the area, organized crime needs a collection of men who are sworn by brotherhood to do the dirty work the leaders up top cannot do themselves. These enforcers earned the nickname "Highbinder" due to their distinct topknot, but would also be called "hatchet men" due to their weapon of choice during a hit. These men would serve as frontline muscle within Chinatown, whether it be keeping outsiders at bay or enforcing their organization's will on their own residents. Unfortunately, this meant larger Chinatowns could have multiple Tongs, making conflict inevitable. It would be Highbinders like these who would then serve as soldiers when the Tong Wars between 1880 to 1913 would break out, throwing innocent civilians into a violent gang war. In San Francisco, it wouldn't be until the Great Quake of 1906 and an organized effort between the San Francisco Police and the fed up residents of Chinatown that the Tong Wars would finally cease. Though the Highbinders themselves are now a relic of the past, the Tongs that founded them still exist to this day with more modern enforcers to back up their organizations. They may have traded their topknots for semiauto pistols, but the same tradition of loyalty to their society still runs just as it did nearly 200 years ago. Brutal, efficient, and serve their own code of justice. You don't like it? Forget it kid, it's Chinatown. Short Range=Chinese chopper While it may look like a cleaver, this is a tool that weighs and functions like a standard kitchen knife and is commonplace in any Chinese kitchen. Many Tongs have infamously used them as improvised weapons. *''7 in steel blade'' *''wood handle'' |-|Mid Range=Butterfly swords Weapons like this were imports from the mainland and deathly effective should the user wish to bring them out. They can be stored in the same scabbard and was usually as long as the user's forearm to allow for concealment and maximum mobility. *''15 inch single edged steel blades'' *''Overall length 20 inches'' *''Often made with a D guard'' |-|Long Range=Colt Navy Revolver A Colt like this one would've been commonplace enough that nearly everyone would've had access to it. The Tongs of early Chinatown had the money to afford whatever firearms were available, and it's unlikely they would've been picky so long as it gets the job done. *''.38 centerfire conversion'' *''6 round cylinder'' *''75 yards effective range'' |-|Special=Hatchet A commonplace handheld tool amongst the working class out in the Old West and in Chinatown. These would become the Highbinders' weapon of choice when performing executions, giving them the nickname of "hatchet men". *''single edged iron head'' *''wood handle in varied length'' |-|Armor=Mail vest Some Highbinders were reported to be wearing mail vests underneath their coats. Little Pete, the King of Chinatown in the 1890s, wore mail like this as violence between rival gangs increased. While unlikely to save the wearer from a bullet, it was more likely worn to protect the wearer from a surprise stabbing. Notes *Both gangs will consist of 5 man squads *Only the leaders of each gang will be wearing armor *Most everyone will have knives, but the other weapons are scattered as to who has what due to their nonstandard nature. *Fight takes place in an urban alley one would see around the early 1900s. *I'm not one to crunch numbers for X-Factors, so it will be up to the voters to determine what kind of X-Factors should apply to this battle. Category:Blog posts